  I was in a mood when I got home from “work” yesterday. The day felt like a waste, filled with dull meetings and too many breaks. The night was rescued by dinner with Purba and Célia but my bad mood was there again when I woke up this morning. It was one of those days where I didn’t particularly feel like leaving the house, but the prospect of staying home felt equally depressing.
A no-win situation. I hunkered down to read 1984 for an hour in bed before facing the world. Half an hour later, the world came to me. I was still in my pjs when I got a phone call from the post office making sure I was home to receive a package. I ripped off my cloud-covered flannels and threw on jeans and a tank top. I had been awaiting a birthday package from Aya for some time but had recently been told that it was sitting by her desk accumulating things. Only yesterday she wrote to say she had shipped it. Knowing how slow the mail is here, I was sure the package I was about to receive was something else—maybe some boring computer things for Erik. Wrong! It was my birthday package in all its glory. Aya, with her gifts from the Teen Vogue closet, kept me from looking shabby all last year. Sometimes when I saw her, it felt like walking into an H&M with an all-H&amp;M outfit on. To explain her generosity, she would often say that I fit the Teen Vogue style perfectly.
I could never quite decide if this was insulting. Am I still languishing in teen fashion while the rest of our friends have moved on? But who has time to dwell on such questions when there’s a Vivianne Westwood bag waiting on your bed? Of course it's not just my wardrobe that misses Aya. Without her there is no one to aimlessly wander the streets with on a Sunday afternoon.
But that kind of thing only affects me. Lots of other people have to share the misery of my boring clothes. This package might provide some relief. It contained: 6 boxes of Annie’s Mac and Cheese in 3 different flavors (okay, not fashion-related but almost as important), 1 pink stripey headband, 1 spring scarf, 1 compact mirror; 2 polka dotted sneakers (1 pair), and 1 strappy green watch. I’ve never really worn a watch but have wanted to start. The gift was timed perfectly (no pun intended). It took me a solid 20 minutes to figure out the clasp and now I never want to take it off (both because I love it and because I think I might not be able to maneuver the clasp again). I’m such a watch novice that I’m actually unsure of the procedures: does one sleep with a watch on?
Shower with it? Hopefully some of my new items might bring me luck during tomorrow’s oral exam. Maybe if I wear everything at once: scarf, headband, shoes, and watch, the examiners will be so taken aback by my “bling” that they won’t notice the mistakes I’m making. Wallpaper: Emil och Griseknoen , the movie. About a mischievous farm-boy who trains a pet pig and then mistakenly gets drunk off of homemade cherry wine. 
